Washington has three distinct tidepool coasts, and in 2026 all three bottom out on the same day. On Tuesday, July 14, the year's deepest daylight low reaches La Push at −3.00 ft (7:15 AM, NOAA station 9442396), Port Townsend at −3.48 ft (10:25 AM, 9444900), and Seattle at −3.80 ft (11:20 AM, 9447130) — the same low water arriving about four hours later as it works inland from the open Pacific into Puget Sound.
Washington's three tidepool coasts
Most "best tide pools in Washington" lists mix outer-coast sea stacks with in-city rock lines as if they run on the same clock. They don't. The state's tidepooling splits cleanly into three coasts, each with its own NOAA reference station and its own timing signature:
| Coast | Reference station | NOAA id | Deepest daylight low, 2026 | Low time (Jul 14) | Character |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic outer coast (La Push) | La Push | 9442396 | −3.00 ft | 7:15 AM | Dawn lows, sea stacks, forest-trail access |
| Strait of Juan de Fuca (Port Townsend) | Port Townsend | 9444900 | −3.48 ft | 10:25 AM | Late-morning lows, long walkable windows |
| Central Puget Sound (Seattle) | Seattle | 9447130 | −3.80 ft | 11:20 AM | Midday lows, in-city rock lines |
Computed 2026-07-14 from NOAA station 9442396, 9444900, and 9447130 predictions.
Two things move as you read down that table: the low gets deeper — from −3.00 ft on the open coast to −3.80 ft in the Sound — and it gets later, from a pre-breakfast 7:15 AM to a civilized 11:20 AM. Both are the same physical story.
Why the same low tide arrives four hours apart
The tide is a wave, and it takes time to travel. It arrives at the exposed Olympic coast first, then bends around Cape Flattery into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, reaching Port Townsend a few hours later. From there it pushes south into Puget Sound, where Seattle sees the same low water last of the three. The narrowing, shoaling basin also amplifies the range on the way in, which is why the inland lows run deeper.
You can watch it happen in the numbers. On July 14, 2026, the year's deepest daylight low lands at La Push at 7:15 AM, at Port Townsend at 10:25 AM (3 hours 10 minutes later), and at Seattle at 11:20 AM (4 hours 5 minutes later than the coast, and about 55 minutes after Port Townsend). The gap holds every day of the run.
For the tidepooler, that four-hour spread is a feature. If a pre-dawn alarm on the outer coast isn't happening, the same tide gives you a mid-morning or midday low a couple of hours inland. The outer-coast dawn timing is explained in why the summer's lowest tides happen at dawn; the Puget Sound side gets its own month-by-month breakdown in the Puget Sound low-tide calendar.
This week: July 14–17, the deepest run of the year
This is the peak. The mid-July run holds each coast's deepest daylight lows of all of 2026, and it's happening now. Here is the same run at all three stations, so you can read the staggered timing straight across:
| Date | Day | La Push (9442396) | Port Townsend (9444900) | Seattle (9447130) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 14 | Tue | −3.00 ft, 7:15 AM | −3.48 ft, 10:25 AM | −3.80 ft, 11:20 AM |
| Jul 15 | Wed | −2.98 ft, 8:01 AM | −3.10 ft, 11:12 AM | −3.49 ft, 12:08 PM |
| Jul 16 | Thu | −2.63 ft, 8:44 AM | −2.36 ft, 11:59 AM | −2.73 ft, 12:55 PM |
| Jul 17 | Fri | −2.0 ft, 9:26 AM | — | — |
Computed 2026-07-14 from NOAA station 9442396, 9444900, and 9447130 predictions. Every listed day scores in the Exceptional band on our 0–100 window scale; La Push July 17 scores 95.
The walkable windows are generous. On July 14, the exposed-beach window runs 4:35 AM–10:00 AM at La Push, 7:35 AM–1:50 PM at Port Townsend, and 8:50 AM–1:55 PM at Seattle. La Push holds one extra day at the tail — its Friday, July 17 low still scores 95 — because the outer-coast run runs a touch longer here.
One access note before you drive to the coast: the marquee La Push spot is closed. The National Park Service states that "Mora Road is closed to all traffic for construction from July 8–Oct. 15, 2026," and that "Rialto Beach will not be accessible via Mora Road during this construction period." For this exact tide run, go to Second Beach instead — a 0.7-mile forest trail off La Push Road, open through the closure.
The best weekend, if you can't take a weekday off
The deepest lows of 2026 fall on a Tuesday through Thursday, which is arithmetic, not bad luck: deep lows come in runs of four or five consecutive days, and a run touches at most a day or two of any given weekend. If your calendar only bends on Saturdays and Sundays, the standout is Sunday, August 9:
| Station | Aug 8 (Sat) | Aug 9 (Sun) | Score, Aug 9 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Port Townsend (9444900) | −1.52 ft, 6:39 AM | −2.05 ft, 7:38 AM | 100 |
| Seattle (9447130) | — | −1.91 ft, 8:29 AM | 98 |
Computed 2026-07-14 from NOAA station 9444900 and 9447130 predictions.
Port Townsend scores a flat 100 that Sunday and Seattle 98 — both Exceptional, both at a reasonable morning hour. The outer coast is the exception this time: La Push's next deep run lands on weekdays, August 11–13, at dawn (lows around 6:15–7:40 AM), so for a weekend outing the Strait and the Sound are your picks.
Which Washington coast should you pick?
All three are worth the trip; the differences are timing and access.
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La Push (Olympic outer coast). Sea stacks, tide pools, and the biggest wilderness payoff — but the earliest lows and a real access catch this summer. With Rialto Beach and Hole-in-the-Wall closed via Mora Road through October 15, the open option is Second Beach, reached by a short forest trail. Full detail and the current closure advisory are in the La Push / Second Beach guide.
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Port Townsend (Strait of Juan de Fuca). The best of both worlds for many visitors: deep lows, the longest walkable windows of the three, and later timing than the outer coast. Reef and cobble tidepooling at Fort Worden State Park — parking needs a Discover Pass. See the Port Townsend / Fort Worden guide.
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Seattle (central Puget Sound). The deepest lows in the state and the easiest access — Constellation Park sits on Alki Point inside the city, with midday timing and no pre-dawn alarm. Free street parking, no restrooms on site. See the Seattle / Alki & Constellation Park guide.
Every window in this article, day by day, lives on the station pages: Seattle, Port Townsend, and La Push. The Washington beaches hub collects all three.
How to work a window
Use the arrive-by time, not the low time. Plan to be on the rocks about an hour before the low so you can follow the water out while it's still dropping. The National Park Service's tidepooling guidance says to arrive "at least an hour before low tide" and to head back "no later than an hour after the tide has begun to rise." NPS also warns that the route out crosses slippery, algae-covered rock, so wear shoes that grip when wet.
To turn any date here into a personal plan, drop the station and day into the tide-window finder, or scan the whole season at once on the year heatmap. For the full trip-planning method — arrive-by math, what to bring, how to read the score — see how to plan a tidepooling trip around minus tides.
These are tide predictions, not observations: actual water levels vary with wind, barometric pressure, and river runoff, so treat the windows as a plan and watch the real water once you're there. Every number above is computed from NOAA station predictions; the methodology explains exactly how.